James 1: 19 - 20 NKJV
I saw this past week that California congresswoman Maxine Waters had made a few comments about "standing up" to all members of the administration of Donald Trump. Furthermore, she called upon all Americans to confront these people in public at every opportunity and make their lives uncomfortable. All because she disagrees with the policies of the president. Yesterday, I watched on tv as the latest protest in downtown Portland unfolded into yet another riot situation. Now, I'm certainly not saying that all people are like these political hacks we see on the news on a daily basis, but I've certainly noticed that many in our society have taken to behaving badly in recent years. Although we may notice it more in the political arena, I have experienced it in other ways as well. I have been called a idiot, close minded and a moron all for expressing my beliefs. Now, I just take this as part of the culture we are in, but it didn;t used to be this way. I have listened to many a older person tell me of a more civil time in our country. Certainly, people have been behaving badly since the begining, that's what we do. Some call it following the flesh, I call it simply being human. Indeed, I challange anyone to produce any person who has ever been born who has been immune from behaving badly. Now, I guess I should make the caveat that Christ Jesus, having taken the form of man, had that opportunity to Himself behave badly as those He came to save have. That didn't happen. See, in order to have our own sins reconciled, Jesus needed to take that burden of our iniquities upon Himself {2 Corinthians 5:21}. One look at the life of Christ and we will notice many people behaving badly. So badly, in fact, that the very people whom Jesus desired to save were the very ones who nailed Him to the cross. Of course, this was all part of our heavenly Fathers devine plan. There is nothing that escaped is notice. So, what happened where we all have somehow turned from a loving people in communion with God in the garden to hateful, filth spewing humans? Well I'll tell you, it all began back in the garden with Adam and Eve. In one moment, satan convinced Eve that she could indeed "be like God" {Genesis 3:5}. From that point on, the idea that we ourselves can be independent from God has prevailed in us all.
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4: 7 NKJV
I know that it sounds silly that Gods children would ever think that they were independent from their creator, but this has been the prevailing mindset for generations. God has simply become someone who we see in a "seperated" view. There He is, in heaven just waiting for us to screw up so that He can ultimately pass judgement upon sinful man. Never mind the fact that it is Christ Himself who lives through us today {Galations 2:20}. That's right, the Spirit of Christ Jesus dwells daily with those who have accepted Him. In this the prayer of Jesus in the garden was answered {John 17:23}. That is, that we would be one with He and our Father in heaven. Does this sound like a God who is seperated from His own children? Yet this is the belief among many a christian. I should say, that this is the belief among many christians in whom the truth of Christ Jesus has not yet been revealed. This is the truth of Christ in us which was revealed in the apostle Paul {Galations 1:15-16}. Yet more than a few christians are fearful that proclaiming Christ in us could somehow be seen as being wrong or blasphemous. Ok, if that's the case, then why are we told in scripture that this is who we truly are? Everything we do, see and experience we do as Christ who is in us, even when we behave badly. Despite our own propensity to allow our flesh and desires to temporarily dominate us, it does not change our one true identity in Christ Jesus. In fact, knowing this, we may just get a new perspective on our own behavior. For it is God who not only created us for union with Him, but with our own desires as well.
14For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5: 14 - 17 NKJV
~Scott~
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